A problem often encountered in raising and feeding livestock such as cattle and hogs is difficulty in keeping records for the animals. This is especially difficult with today's increased livestock herds and today's methods of animal breeding and raising which often involve confined feeding and keeping of animals. Thus, a livestock feeder or an animal breeder or raiser will have a variety of different animals which need certain work functions to be performed at differing times. For example, when cows or pigs become pregnant certain critical functions must be performed during the gestation period at dates certain in order to keep both the mother and the unborn animal in good healthy condition. For example, innoculations need to be given on certain specified dates, feed formulas need to be changed at certain stages of the animal's life, and the livestock owner needs to know when he can expect newborn calves, pigs or the like.
Typically in order to allow record keeping each animal is marked or tagged, often by a number tag or the like. Thus, each specific animal is identifiable in a livestock keeper's herd. However, keeping track of the work functions to be performed on an animal, even though that animal may be specifically identified by a number tag or the like, is often a difficult record keeping problem. This is especially true in today's livestock raising which with increased size in operations often involves many, many animals.
This invention has as its primary object providing a method and means of livestock record keeping which is efficient, easy to operate, provides minimum chance for error in record keeping, provides a device which is simple in structure and economical for manufacture, and importantly provides a device which has versatility in that it can be readily adapted for use with a variety of livestock animals, for example, both cattle and swine.
The method of accomplishing all of the above stated objectives, as well as others, will become apparent from the detailed description which will follow below.